Indian politics never fails to amuse us. Had there been a competition between the real standup comedians in India and the Indian politicians, the Indian politicians would’ve won it hands down. The latest to join this bandwagon is the elder of the two famous ‘Yadav brothers’, ex Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav, who is now accusing the incumbent CM of Bihar, Nitish Kumar of resorting to ‘black magic’ and unleashing ‘ghosts’ to force him out of his bungalow.
Yes, you heard it right. Of all things, Tej Pratap has accused Nitish Kumar of unleashing ‘ghosts’ in the property that forced him to vacate the premises. In a statement to the press, he said, ‘“I decided to vacate the bungalow because Nitish and Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi had released ghosts in it. The ghosts were haunting me.”
On a blunt note, the real reason for the vacation of property is more legal than supernatural. After the RJD had fallen out with Nitish Kumar and his JD [U] party in 2017, the lease of the bungalow that Tej Pratap Yadav held by the virtue of being the Cabinet Minister expired. Despite repeated requests and notices, Tej Pratap Yadav was just not ready to vacate the premises. Following some strict action, which included a possible penalty if he did not heed to the concerned authorities, Tej Pratap finally vacated the premises.
In a time when people like Elon Musk are devising ways to create a car that operates in space as well, such regressive accusations evoke more laughter than concern. However, this is nothing new for Tej Pratap Yadav, who has time and again resorted to such bizarre, as well as comical antics.
His superstition is well known amongst the inner circles of RJD politicians. Only a couple of months ago, when the income tax officials as well as other investigating authorities had clamped down on Lalu Yadav and the rest of his clan, Tej Pratap Yadav had conducted a ‘dushman maaran jaap’ in the very same bungalow, in order to ward off the ‘evil spirits’. Yet, many intellectuals, who would not leave a single moment in ripping apart PM Modi and his educational qualifications to shreds, have the audacity to term him as an ‘able intellectual.’ Quite progressive and revolutionary, isn’t it?
While his antics are nothing short of hilarious, one must and should appreciate Tej Pratap Yadav for his commitment to keeping the spirit of his party alive. Whether it is forming the Dharmnirpeksha Sevak Sangh as a secular counter attack to the nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or dressing up as Lord Krishna and playing flute much before Rahul Gandhi made ‘temple tourism’ cool, or even declaring with sheer courage to rip off the skin of PM Modi alive, Tej Pratap has never failed in maintaining the momentum, and has generously followed into the footsteps of his own father, who never failed to entertain the masses, despite the infinite pile of criminal as well as corruption cases building up behind him.
That’s not all, Tej Pratap also knows how to galvanize his supporters with powerful (he has been watching too many Bhojpuri movies, it seems) speeches, as the one he gave at a mega opposition rally titled ‘BJP Bhagao Desh Bachao’ only a couple of months ago at Gandhi Maidan in Patna, the Bihar capital. He had vowed that he won’t sleep or breathe till he tears BJP apart, and even took a potshot at RSS uniform, calling the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat ‘half minded because of wearing half pants’. Maybe, the blanket ban on alcohol in Bihar has hit him the hardest.
We whole heartedly embrace Tej Pratap Yadav’s tenacity in taking care of RJD after the imprisonment of Lalu Prasad Yadav. Tej Pratap Yadav is a real cool guy. We need politicians like him. While his father was a natural too when it came to tickling the funny bones, he was also gifted with political acumen. Tej Pratap Yadav it seems doesn’t really care about the political acumen part but has inherited the first quality. We don’t mind!
